If Chattanooga Cross Country league runners were looking to set a time standard to try and beat this afternoon in the first meet of the year, they’re not going to get it.
Due to temperatures in the 90s and a heat index that is supposed to near 100, the league decided that the meet at Camp Jordan has been cut from five kilometers (3.1 miles) to a two-mile run. The girls’ varsity race is still currently scheduled to begin at 5:40.
“It’s early in the season,” Jim Steffes, one of the league directors, said. “There’s no reason to send kids to the hospital for dehydration, plus I think it will kind of energize the kids because they’ll want to run harder in the shorter distance.”
In years past, the league’s earlier races — which happen in the heat of late August and early September — have seen some runners collapse due to the heat.
Hydration becomes such an important part of a runners’ regiment. It starts in the pre-race preparations, which usually never stop as runners are constantly drinking water. Coaches are constantly on their athletes about getting as much water in their system as possible during the day.